D&RG Freight Car Red

Historic Paint / Specific Colors / D&RG Freight Car Red

Denver & Rio Grande Freight Car Red

Date of introduction is currently unknown. The earliest reference to the paint is a paint specification from 1921.

1921 Paint Specification

Freight Car Red

Pigment: 25-55%
Vehicle: balance
Pigment Analysis:
Iron Oxide 80%
Inerts: 20%

Vehicle shall consist of phenolic or alkyd varnish or combination of the two

“Komac made a high-quality paint. My father, as an architect and general contractor, used Komac almost exclusively. At that time the national brands such as Benjamin Moore were often very poor quality paint (Sherwin-Williams and PPG being the exception).” - Mark Hemphill, author of Union Pacific’s Salt Lake Route

Upon abandoning Prince’s Metallic, the D&RG turned to a local company, Kohler-McLister, to supply its paints. Kohler-McLister’s headquarters were located at West 13th Ave. and Osage Street in Denver, only a stone’s throw from the Rio Grande’s Burnham Shops, with a downtown showroom at 1623 Arapahoe Street. While they specialized in structural paints and manufactured the Jersey Cream and Brown used on railroad buildings after 1915, they also provided the Rio Grande’s freight car colors, from the black asphaltum used to protect ironwork (“dries quickly to a brilliant jet-black finish” according to their 1929 catalog) to D&RGW Freight Car Red, listed as KM-91 Box Car Red.

Historic Railroad Paint Color Index / Specific Colors / D&RG Freight Car Red